Shelf



A. M D. HESS June 2, 1953 SHELF Filed D80. 4, 1950 FIG.2.

INVENTOR Patented June 2, 1953 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE SHELFAlexander McD. Hess, New York, N. Y. Application December 4, 1950,Serial No. 199,032

Claims.

This invention relates to shelves which are suitable for closets or openwall spaces and is particularly adapted for use by persons of short ormedium stature.

An object of the present invention is the provision of a shelf whichwill bring objects thereupon within easy reach of persons of short ormedium stature.

Another object of the invention is the provision of a shelf which may beappropriately laden and thereafter elevated against a wall to providemore head room in closets or narrow passages.

Still another object of the invention is the provision of a shelf andhanger support or rod, the shelf portion of which may be lowered to ahandy position within easy-reach and elevated against a wall so as topermit easy accessibility to the hanger support or rod.

Theseand other objects and advantages of the immediate invention willbecome more apparent by reference to the description which follows andthe accompanying drawing in which are described and illustrated apreferred embodiment of the invention.

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a shelf and hanger assembly.

Fig. 2 is an end view of the shelf and hanger assembly.

Fig. 3 is a view in plan of an alternate shelf arrangement.

Fig. 4 is an enlarged view of one form of hanger support.

In Fig. 1 end brackets I and 2 are fabricated opposite hand i. e. inpairs and preferably each out of a single thin sheet of material such asmetal, alloy or a plastic, except sleeve portions 3 and 4 which areindividually fabricated of a suitable material and may be secured in anyappropriate manner such as by welding or rolling the ends into thebrackets I and 2. The brackets I and 2 are off-set in the vertical planeto form supporting ledges 5 and 6 and sections are cut out of and bentupwardly from the ledges 5 and 6, to form vertical panels I and 8, and 9and II].

A shelf member I5 of any suitable material such as wood, plastic,pressed metal or alloy is provided of appropriate length adapted to besupported upon the ledges 5 and 6 after the brackets I and 2 are securedto opposite walls of a closet space, or to suitable companion brackets(not shown) in the event the shelf assembly i to be secured to a singleperpendicular wall at the back of a shelf assembly.

A support member I6 such as a rod of wood or a hollow cylinder of alightmetal or alloy is provided having peripheral corrugations on its outersurface, except its ends which preferably are left smooth where it issupported in the sleeves 3 and 4, so as to provide a separation forclothes hangers and thus prevent them from becoming engaged with oneanother and clinging together in a mass.

Another shelf 20 which preferably is of similar material andconstruction to shelf I5 is provided which is supported upon brackets2|. The brackets 2I are made identically, that is not opposite hand norin'pairs, having single horizontal ledges 22 and vertical panels 23 and24, and preferably are fabricated from thin sheet material such asmetal, alloy or a plastic.

The panels I and 8, 9 and Ill, and 23 and 24 are provided with pins orgudgeons 25 secured tothe respective panels, which are adapted to beengaged by the ends of arm members 26, 21, 28 and 29, which are adaptedto serve as support and swinging members for the shelf 20. The armmembers 26, 21, 28, and 29 are preferably fabricated in a curved mannerand assembled as illustrated so as to permit of being swung in pairs inthe same vertical plane without interference with each other.

The lower ends of the arm members 26, 21, 28 and 29 are provided withengaging flaps 26a, 21a, 28a and 29a each of which has a small centrallylocated spherical depression adapted to engage frictionally withspherical protrusions Ia and 8a, and 9a and I 0a, which are provided onthe panels I and 8, and 9 and II] respectively. Thus when the shelf 20is swung upwardly against the back wall in its fully elevated position,there is efiected a suitable anchorage in such position.

When the shelf 20 is freed from such anchorage by mild manually appliedforce, it may be swung outwardly and downwardly, and held by and uponthe arms 26, 21, 28 and 29 and brought to rest upon the frontalprojections of the ledges 5 and 6 from beneath the shelf I5 so as toform a horizontal extension to the shelf I5.

As just described, the shelf 20 may be lowered into a position in thesame horizontal plan as the shelf I5, as illustrated by broken lines inFig. 2, for convenient accessibility of articles thereupon, or to placearticles thereupon, and thereafter be elevated to the position above theshelf I5 as shown in full lines in Fig. 2 and left there during storagperiods so as to furnish more room in usually crowded closet spaces ornarrow passages where articles customarily are stored.

An alternative embodiment of a shelf peculiarly adapted to varyingwidths of available shelf construction spaces is shown in-Fig. 3 inwhichend members 30 of identical fabrication are provided with pin members 3|rigidly secured thereinto and upon which sleeve members 32 are slidablymounted. The pin members 3| are of sufficient length and taken withsnuggly fitting sleeve members 32 are of sufficient strength to form asubstantial shelf structure, which may be extended or closed withinreasonable limits, controlled by the length of the sleeve members 32which are chosen within workable limits for varying spaces available,and employed in conjunction with the supporting brackets l and 2, and21, instead of the shelf structures l and 20 which are shown in Fig. 1and Fig. 2.

While there have been shown and described herein certain preferredembodiments of my invention, it will be apparent to those well versed inthe art that other embodiments of the invention may be employed withoutdeparting from the spirit and scope of my invention, which is set forthmore precisely in the following claims.

I claim:

1. A shelf structure comprising end brackets adapted for securing towalls opposite each other, a. shelf member supported upon said endbrackets, another shelf member, a pair of curved arms pivotally securedin the same vertical plane to each of said end brackets, and bracketssecured pivotally to the opposite ends of said curved arms and to thesecond shelf member adapted to swingably support said second shelf abovesaid first shelf member.

2. .A shelf structure comprising end brackets adapted for securing towalls opposite each other, a shelf member supported upon said endbrackets, another shelf member, a pair of curved swingable armspivotally secured in the same vertical plane to each of said endbrackets, brackets secured pivotally to the opposite ends of said curvedarms and to the second shelf members adapted to support said secondshelf above said first shelf, and friction contact elements on said endbrackets cooperating with companion elements on said arms tohold saidsecond shelf above said first shelf.

3. A shelf structure comprising end brackets adapted for securing towalls opposite each other, a shelf member supported upon said endbrackets, another shelf member, and brackets pivotally secured to pairsof curved swingable arms whose opposite ends are pivotally secured tosaid end brackets, said pairs of arms adapted to be swung in the samevertical plane and to swing said second shelf into vertical andhorizontal relationship with said first shelf and hold it in thevertical position.

4. A shelf structure comprising end brackets adapted for securing towalls opposite each other, a shelf member supported upon said endbrackets, another shelf member, brackets pivotally secured to pairs ofcurved swingable arms whose opposite ends are pivotally secured to saidend brackets, said pairs of arms adapted to be swung in the samevertical plane and to swing said second shelf into vertical andhorizontal relationship with said first shelf, and engaging elements onsaid curved swingable arms adapted to engage companion elements on saidend brackets to hold said second shelf in a relatively verticalposition.

5. A shelf structure comprising end brackets adapted for securing towalls, a shelf member loosely supported upon said end brackets, anothershelf member, a pair of curved swingable arms pivotally attached in thesame vertical plane toeach end of said second shelf, pivoted to said endbrackets and adapted to be swung in the same vertical plane and to swingsaid second shelf into vertical and horizontal relationship with saidfirst shelf, engaging elements on said curved swingable arms adapted toengage companion elements on said end brackets to hold said second shelfin a relatively vertical position and ledge elements on said endbrackets adapted to support said second shelf when swung into arelatively horizontal position.

ALEXANDER MCD. I-ESS.

Number Name Date 876,159 Erickson Jan. 7, 1908 905,452 Peters Dec. 1,1908 1,153,929 Kearns Sept. 21, 1915 1,867,676 Mueller July 19, 19322,085,781 Alexander July 6, 1937 2,235,574 Derman e Mar. 18, 19412,374,023 Levy Apr. 17, 1945 2,549,984 Miller Apr. 24, 1951

